The moment the Guardian finished speaking, the killing intent in the void seemed to tighten under an invisible hand.
But Shen Yi was not looking at the three of them.
His gaze passed over their triangular formation and settled on the churning nebula behind them.
The towering outline of the Hidden Light Hall flickered deep within the nebula. Beneath it, presences began to emerge in the void, one after another.
One, two, three... until there were seven!
Most had concealed their auras so well that, had they not revealed themselves, Shen Yi would never have known so many figures were lying in wait within ten thousand yards.
They had arrived without a sound and chosen their positions with care, cutting off both his and Xilos's retreat into the Hidden Light Hall and their path outward.
They had him surrounded.
Xilos's crimson pupils contracted.
"Lord Shen." Xilos kept her voice low, the flames in her eyes narrowing to a thin line.
"Their auras are quite weak. They must have been suppressing their power for some time."
Shen Yi did not answer.
His gaze swept over the presences, some exposed and some still half-hidden, before coming to rest on the silent outline of the Hidden Light Hall's main hall.
No one stood there.
Byron had not appeared.
From the moment the barrier was torn open until the encirclement was complete, Byron had never shown herself.
Not even a transmitted message or the faintest ripple of her aura.
As though this hunt outside her own hall had nothing to do with her.
The unreadable glint in Shen Yi's eyes slowly faded. Suddenly, he felt that this entire visit to the Hidden Light Hall had been a net someone had carefully laid.
They had even calculated exactly where he would stand when it closed.